A Progression in Translation
by Nanaho-Hime
Summary: Rose. Scorpius. Her family. Yearly assassination attempts. No, seriously. Rose&Scorpius, the autobiography.
1. Chapter 1

A Progression in Translation

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for any OCs that may appear. The idea for that little disclaimer at the bottom belongs to JK Rowling.

Prologue: Your hearts have always been with me

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I'm writing this account of our family for my children, and because Scorpius insisted, but mostly for my children. I want them to be proud of their mother and father, of their grandparents and their aunts and uncles and their great aunts and their great uncles.

This is not a story to be told around the fire during a blizzard and it is not the story for a rainy day. It is much too detailed, much to complex for that. It, however, absolutely must be written, all of it, for posterity's sake and I will divulge all that has ever been brought to my attention. I promise to tell everything because, really, there is no need for these secrets anymore.

This tale will, of course, chronicle the unconventional romance between Scorpius and I, but that is only part of it. My heart has always been divided into twelve parts. Some parts have grown over the years and some have shrunk, but they have never entirely disappeared and I feel as though they never will. My relationship with my family, with my cousins especially, has always been called strange by the nicest and creepy by the nastiest. We did a great many things that were considered unconventional and outlandish but it wasn't so with us, we were always just closer than most.

For example, we touched each other often, not in the way the warrants legal intervention, but in the way that we were always hugging, a kiss atop the head wasn't uncommon, nor a kiss on the cheek, an arm slung around the shoulders, someone's head resting in another's lap. There were cold nights when one of the younger ones would get scared during a thunderstorm and crawl into bed with the elder cousins. It was purely platonic in every single sense of the word and it was just a way that we conveyed our affection, but others, in the outside world, certainly found it strange. Even those of us that hated any form of physical intimacy, like Lucy and Hugo, partook in this sort of family tradition.

There were fights, of course, with such a large family it was unavoidable but they were always over petty little things and we always forgave each other within the hour. We had our other friends, there were the Scamanders and the Longbottoms and the Finnegans but the bond that we shared with each other was unparalleled. To this day many people, including my husband, don't understand it and, in all honesty, I don't entirely get it either. Our relationship just always was.

Victoire was the oldest of us and, for that, she was always the tiniest bit detached. Oh she still loved us dearly and she laughed and played with us and she was always included in our little rituals, our little games, but Teddy was the one she spent the most time with. It was a common misconception amongst our peers that Vic was a beauty queen, a nasty, bitchy, beauty queen. They believed her arrogant and cold and domineering simply because Vic was, and still is, very beautiful. However, that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

Vic had always been the family sweetheart. She liked to play with children and animals and she liked to please her parents and her uncles and aunts. She was extremely demure and that was an anomaly in our fiery household. Vic's temper was, perhaps, the most frightening to behold because she so rarely showed it to us. I don't think we realized until much later that Vic had it very rough. She was resented at one point or another by most of us because she seemed so flawless, but, the truth was, she may have been more flawed than the rest of us. She always tried to make sure everyone was happy and she had to make a lot of sacrifices as a result. She eventually grew out of the habit but the sweet, quiet demeanor remained all the same.

Although Vic was the oldest she was, perhaps, the most childish. She was a hopeless romantic who believed in love at first sight. She was devastatingly naïve and she got her heart broken quite often. She preferred to believe in goodness more than anything else and it often came back to bite her in the arse. We couldn't make her understand that some people were just plain nasty.

Contrary to our own initial belief, Victoire had many flaws. She was an unrepentant shopaholic, and she wasn't without her small vanities. She was never particularly intellectual and that was somewhat of a disappointment for her. In any case, while we felt inferior because of her beauty, she felt inferior because she was clearly the least intelligent of the Weasley-Potter clan girls. Victoire was weak, she was fragile, and because of that she never really did become the queen of our circle of cousins. She was just a princess and we all felt a desire to protect her.

Years later she would confide in me that she always hated being beautiful. Victoire wanted people to like her, and not many did because of her perceived haughtiness and beauty. She hated to displease anyone, and it made her life very difficult at times. Years later, when a curse had left a long white scar on the side of her face, she was the tiniest bit pleased.

James was the oldest male in the family, five years younger than Vic, and he played the role of patriarch of the cousins quite well. It was a title he wore with pride and, although he was our prime tormenter, teasing us and being an insufferably arrogant git at times, we knew that he loved us and he worried about us in a very James way.

He was always very handsome and very reckless when it came to just about everything and many of my punishments as a child were a direct result of me being foolish enough to follow in one of his hair brained schemes.

Many have called James irresponsible, selfish even, but it was never true. James always took it upon himself to care for us, to ensure our security and happiness, and he worried about us more than he cared to admit. He was too hotheaded to be a peacemaker, that was Vic's job, and there have been many blazing rows, but, we all knew, that if anyone ever so much as breathed on us wrong James would have killed him. It was never doubted and it was a part of his personality, that chivalrous streak that characterized him and many of his Gryffindor male friends.

James and I had always been close. Our families were very close and I think that, ultimately, James respected the fact that I always called him on his shite. He had a nickname that he never really stopped calling me and it was clear that I was the favorite of his female cousins. He called me 'baby girl' and, as humiliating as it is, he calls me baby girl to this day.

Fred was born a month or two after James and he was a good deal milder than his wild cousin. They were best friends Fred and James, inseparable. Fred was kinder than James, I remember that. Any prank he came up with was never mean spirited, and always elicited a laugh from all of us. I'm sure that Fred did enjoy laughter and practical jokes, he possessed the traditional Weasley temper but I think the burden of who he was _supposed _to be haunted him for many years. He knew that, ultimately, he could never live up to the image of his heroic uncle. Many, not intentionally I'm sure, implied that he should be his uncle incarnate. I think that was why Freddie latched onto us so tightly in our first few years, why he resented some adults. We, well, we never judged him, to us he was just Freddie and I think he appreciated that.

Fred couldn't avoid the truth, that, yes, he was similar in many ways to his uncle but he also liked to read, and he didn't mind Slytherins and he didn't want to work in the joke shop after he left school.

Molly was born another two or three months after Fred and those three became their own little subunit. It came as a shock to all of our parents because Molly was absolutely nothing like James and Fred. However, I do think she was a little more devious than we gave her credit for because although James and Fred were always the masterminds, Molly made their farfetched schemes work.. From the stories Uncle Harry told, Molly was a little like the Remus of their trio. She was always very disapproving. She worried about them constantly because they weren't really the most logical of people, and she was the only one who could ever make them feel guilty for hurting someone they didn't like.

Molly was always very motherly, as much as she vehemently tried to deny it for fear of being labeled predictable and a cliché; she had our Nana Molly's heart and her vicious temper. For someone who would later be sorted into Ravenclaw she was in detention as often as James and Fred for using spells when her temper got the best of her-which was often.

Molly was a tiny thing, maybe even a little shorter than me. It became very comical as we grew older because she was always with James and Fred and they towered a good foot and a half over her. She always chose to dress and style herself in a way that was more innocent than she really was, in order to have people underestimate her. She wore a braid and glasses and no makeup and, truth be told, most of Hogwarts was immensely frightened of her. Outside of the family, she was a bit pretentious and very cold. She had a bit of a superiority complex when it came to academics and I had to agree with some when they said she was insufferable at Hogwarts. However, with us, she was motherly Molly with her stern 'I am disappointed in you' face, and her habit of being the first to heal you when you scraped your knee. Her brusque manner and her no nonsense voice was a constant and, I believe, we all needed that in our lives.

Fred and James always had a soft spot for her because she was _their _Molly, and as much as she scolded them or whacked them against the arm, or gave them detentions later in her school career, she always did it affectionately.

Dominique was born several months after Molly and she was my best girlfriend. Dom and I were very unlike in every way possible and if you think she was even remotely similar to Vic then you are sorely mistaken. Dom was a spitfire from day one and whatever strength Victoire seemed to lack, Dominique possessed. She was fiery and abrasive and loud and obnoxious and she has blazing rows with James on a daily basis. I think she was a bit of an enigma to James because he'd never been so evenly matched before in his life and, worse yet, Dominique was a _girl_.

Dom was mad about Quidditch, in all its forms, and she was overly fascinated by any magic she could get her hands on, far before any of us. She was passionate and headstrong and, for a while, we were worried about her. She was the kind of girl who would end in flash of tragedy just because she was so reckless and combative. She was fiercely protective of Victoire and Dom meant the world to her older sister. Victoire fussed over Dom more than any of us and when Dom's heart was broken, many years later, Victoire's temper was there and it was one of the most frightening moments of my life.

I liked Dom immensely, maybe because we were so close in age, maybe because we both thought alike and were quick to anger, but, in any case, she was a constant companion throughout my life.

Dom had a habit of taking in stray anythings because, for all her tough talk, she was compassionate. One day she brought in a young boy around our age, named Thelonius Flint. She christened him "August" and he's been her best friend in the world since. She was funny like that but, if anything, Dom was terribly bossy and when she stated a fact, no matter how farfetched, it became true to her. That was just how Dom was. She could be a bit of a brat and she may have indulged in the thought that she was a queen of sorts but you couldn't help but love Dom, not only was she just as beautiful as Victoire, but she was confident and charismatic.

It was only a week or two later that Albus was born. Albus was, is and always will be, my best friend in the world. That boy was dearer to me than almost anything, and I believe he felt the same way. It is very difficult to explain my relationship with Al, and the closest I've seen to it was Molly's future friendship with Marcellus Jordan.

To explain my relationship with Albus it is essential to explain what a good person Al was. On the surface, he was extremely mild mannered, and he preferred to fade into the background. He wasn't like James or Dom in the way that he didn't feel the constant need to be the center of attention. When I think about it, he really did belong in Slytherin, not because he was evil, as James was initially inclined to believe, but because he thought quickly and on his feet and he certainly knew how to manipulate a situation to his advantage. Albus _knew _how to successfully manipulate a situation and, maybe at times, he was able to get away with a lot more than the rest of us but, in all honesty, Al was one of the sweetest boys and, kindest men I've ever met in my life.

Al was resourceful but I think Al's biggest flaw was his desire to fade into the background. Oh he didn't lack for ambition in the academic sense, or when he was with his close friends and family but at school Albus understood the wisdom of sitting back and watching the drama unfold as an unbiased observer. I never understood why he felt this need to fit in with everyone else. Later, however, I realized that Albus had never really cared about the everyone else, he had only cared about what James thought.

The relationship between Al and James had always been tumultuous. The only time I ever saw Al get angry, truly angry, was when he was fighting with James and when that happened I admired James for even looking him in the eye. Albus was, by far, the most frightening of the male cousins when angry. When James dug into him about whatever he decided on for that day Al would take it, but James never did learn when enough was enough and when Albus was angry, he closed off. There was a cold fury in his eyes and when his eyes got like that, I was afraid of him.

I have never doubted, not even for a second, that James loved Albus, more than any of us, maybe even more than Lily, after she was born. I think that was why he pushed him so far. I've always had a firm belief that the eldest Potter male was emotionally retarded and he'd always had a very very difficult time expressing himself to the people he loved most. It happened with Albus and, later, the girl who would become his wife. He'd always wistfully wished that Al had been a little more like him, so that they could be the best friends he'd always imagined, but Al was most certainly his own individual and no matter how much he loved James, he couldn't alter the parts of himself that made him different from James.

I think it was because James loved Albus so much that he felt little, perceived, betrayals more strongly. As much as those boys loved each other in the manner that only brotherhood could produce, they had never had a true understanding of each other.

I think that was where I came in. I was born within a few days of Albus and it was clear that we were destined for friendship, but I think it was more than that twist of fate. I think that I was the only one who really understood Al and he was the only one who ever really, one- hundred -percent understood me. It was strange, but he knew what I was thinking before I said it aloud, and I knew why he was in a snit without looking at his face.

It took people a long time to realize that ultimately Al was a sweet, lovable, goofy, mild mannered boy. When he was sorted into Slytherin people forgot that, but I never did. I didn't believe that houses suddenly changed who you were, especially not Al, not my best friend. He still had a crooked grin and he still made me laugh and he still called me Little Red. A green and silver tie didn't change that.

I believe that, luckily for Al in the long run, Lucy was born the year after. Lucy was beautiful in an aristocratic way that no one in the family seemed to possess and no one was quite sure where she got it from. She had high cheekbones, and ice blue eyes, and long dark hair. Sure Victoire and Dom had their elegant veela beauty; angelic in a way, but Lucy's beauty was different, much colder, much more detached. Lucy frightened all of us a bit because she was so different, because she was just a little bit more reserved than us, almost cold in manner as well. Molly, however, believed Lucy could do no wrong. I think it was just her matronly instincts kicking in, but she never tolerated a word against her sister and, no matter what Lucy says, she adored Molly. Molly was the one who saw good in her and she was the perfect example of what an older sister should be. Of course, Lucy resented at her times for her chiding manner and her condescension, but they were inseparable in a way that only sisters could be.

Lucy, like her sister, was extraordinarily brilliant and, like Dom, very much into Quidditch. I think Lucy was very competitive by nature and Quidditch and school offered her a positive outlet for her competiveness. I believe that Lucy was really an affectionate child but, because she looked so different from the rest of the family, she felt a bit like the black sheep. She was a bit awkward in public and, although we did have fun teasing her, we loved her because she was family and our group was so lovely and large and warm that the thought of excluding anyone would taint what we all had.

Lucy was a lonely girl with very few friends but she eventually grew into herself. I know that we had never been very close until my fourth year of Hogwarts, but she was most certainly loved like the rest of us. James teased her, and Fred ruffled her hair and called her big blue because of her eyes. Molly always had an arm around her shoulder and Dom always made sure to keep her supplied with the latest Quidditch news. I think it surprised her, how much we tried to include her, and, I believe that it softened her a bit.

She'd rest her head in Molly's lap and she'd fall asleep on Fred's shoulder and she'd have James carry her upstairs when she was too tired to walk up to the bedroom she shared with Molly at the Burrow.

Her favorite cousins, however, were younger than her. Louis was born a few months later and Vic and Dom were ecstatic. I felt a little bad for Louis growing up because he was coddled so much by his mother and sisters that he developed a bit of a fear of girls. The thing is, Louis Weasley was very much like Uncle Bill, and I believe he was a favorite among the adults. He was smart and good looking and not a trouble maker like James and Fred. We all liked Louis and he was always very popular in school.

Of course, as we all did, he had his flaws. He was a bit of a goody two shoes, perhaps it was because he was surrounded by the influence of older, domineering, females, but he was a wet blanket at times, even more so then Molly and we would push him and whine and he never did seem to be able to break any rules that had been set. He was a tad gullible and it was ridiculously endearing, the poor boy was constantly being disillusioned and it was immensely funny.

Louis's best friend in the world was Lucy and it surprised all of us because Louis was so affable and cheerful and open and Lucy wasn't. He worshipped the ground Lucy walked on and she was very fond of him as well. Through the years it was apparent that Lucy seemed to attract the most affable and popular of men and it always ended up being a thorn in her side.

The next year, my own little brother was born and I was very happy, if not a little put out that I would no longer be the center of my parent's affections. Hugo was the last boy to be born into the family and, therefore, he had a lot to live up to. I was often worried, because I was overprotective of my baby brother, that he would be a bit like my dad when he was younger, with the insecurity of being the youngest and insignificant.

At first it was like that. It was difficult for him to keep up with his older cousins, but my relationship with Hugo was certainly better than Al's relationship with James. I read to him and told him stories and it was nice. He adored me, thought I was the greatest person who'd ever existed and I reveled in the attention. As we grew older we remained close. Hugo was a sweet boy. He was clumsy and good natured and he ate like a hippogriff, but he liked to read and he was so open minded, so compassionate that it did leave me a little surprised.

Aside from Victoire, no one cared about people as much as Hugo did and, although he had the dreadful Weasley temper, and he never thought before he did anything, he had a good heart and I was proud of him. He had the chivalrous streak that was common in all Gryffindor boys, but he did falter in the face of his older male cousins and it took him many years before he could truly assert himself in front of them.

Lily was born soon after and I think we all adored Lily. She was pretty, funny, vivacious and incredibly strong willed. She had a mischievous streak and she was like a little sprite, constantly causing trouble. Lily could never sit still; she constantly needed to move around and she brought a lot of life to our family.

Aside from being extremely lovable (it was nearly impossible to remain angry with her and she could always get you to crack a grin), she was very very scary. She wasn't particularly adept in magical theory so she struggled a bit in school, but Lily Luna Potter could apply any spell she learned. She caught on to spellwork very quickly and she was a fierce duelist as well as a fierce Quidditch player.

James and Al were delighted with their baby sister, but poor Lily always seemed to be in the middle of their rows. She handled it very gracefully and her cool response was always to tell them both to shove off.

Lily and Hugo were almost as close as Albus and I were. Lily was good for Hugo; she was so constantly alive and full of energy that she kept him too busy to ever let the constant teasing of the older boys bother him. She ran all of us ragged trying to keep up with her antics but we loved her. She added this whole dynamic to our family and we probably did spoil her a bit too much.

Her other friend, her other best friend, was Teddy Lupin. He'd always had a soft spot for Lily and she had him wrapped around her finger. They talked a lot because Lily was strangely perceptive for her age and I've often thought, had Lily been a little older, and Victoire a little younger, things may have turned out very differently, but that is beside the point. I've never doubted that Ted was head over heels in love with Vic, but his relationship with Lily was certainly special. They made for a comical friendship. He was like her real older brother and it was really, very sweet.

Lucy was Lily's favorite girl cousin and, once again, it left us entirely shocked. It was another example of someone affable and charming finding something worth seeing in Lucy. Lucy loved Lily as well, no matter how much she denied it. Lily was very different from Lucy but, truth be told, they would eventually become the most powerful, the strongest, most intimidating girls in our family and I think they sensed that from a very early age.

Roxy was born three or four years later, and she was the undisputed baby of the family. We all spoiled her rotten and Fred was the best big brother I'd ever seen. He loved his baby sister so much and as they aged that didn't change. It was clear that he would do anything for her and, we'll all admit, it made our hearts melt.

Roxy was the happiest child we'd ever known. She never stopped laughing and as she aged she retained that happy go lucky, innocence that all of the older cousins fought tooth and nail to preserve. I think, in the end, Roxy was our chance to stay young and we all clung to that.

It was clear that Roxy's greatest love wasn't pranks, but music. She was always dancing to the radio and singing and we knew she would make a career out of it because she was so beautiful and talented. Roxy was often sheltered by us and that may have been her biggest flaw. She was always a little secluded because she was the youngest, but she made her own friends and her own name and, I believe, for the most part, that we kept her happy and her friends kept her happy.

This was merely a brief introduction of my family, of my cousins and the dynamics, the facets of our relationship. You will learn a good deal more about all of them in the following pages, but this entire introduction was for the purpose of my dedication.

The twelfth part of my heart that I discussed, belongs solely to me, something I harbored a quiet love for, that small part that was entirely my own and not influenced by my cousins. It ended up being invaded by a certain boy, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

This dedication is broken into fifteen parts:

For my mum and dad and all my aunts and uncles I love you dearly.

For Vic, for being the sweetest, most unassuming, most loyal cousin I could ask for.

For James, for loving all of us in your own way, for bringing us all together and for leading us.

For Fred, for filling my life with laughter and companionship.

For Molly, for always offering me tea and an awkward pat on the shoulder when I needed it most.

For Dom, my lifelong partner in crime.

For Albus, you've always been a part of me and I love you dearly.

For Lucy, for your quiet love and your ability to make us smile at your wit.

For Louis, for being the most reliable, most dependable person for all of us.

For Lily, for your life and your ability to make us see the beauty in the little things.

For Hugo, you are by far the best brother I could ask for.

For Roxy, your music and your laughter have always been a source of inspiration.

For Scorpius, the undisputed love of my life.

and for my unborn son, because I've never known a love like this.

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_A/N: Please don't favorite without reviewing . Reviews are lovely and make my day and since this is my first major Harry Potter multichapter story I certainly appreciate feedback._

_Much Love,_

_Nanaho-Hime_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: A beginning of sorts

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This story will begin where most of these stories tend to begin, on Platform 9 3/4. I felt extremely relieved when I saw the Potters on the other side of the station. I was already in my robes because I loved how I felt in them, like an intellectual, like I was about to embark on some kind of grand adventure. Albus was nervous about Hogwarts and being sorted but I was brimming with confidence and impatience for it all to begin. I couldn't wait to start learning actual magic.

That day was the day the family officially found out about Victoire and Teddy. James had caught them snogging and, I believe, he was the only one who was actually surprised. I firmly maintain that James is an emotionally stunted troll. I, for one, had suspected that they'd been seeing each other all summer.

A small note on Vic and Ted's relationship: they were really very close friends since childhood but I think Ted was the one who'd always had a bit of a crush on her. Vic was very gentle and good-natured, but rather thick. I recall my mother comparing her to Jane Bennett of the Austinian breed and after I'd read Pride and Prejudice, I was inclined to agree. Ted and Vic were romantic in the way Jane and Bingley were, it was a candy floss type of romance.

James was teasing Al, as per usual. Lily was being loud, as per usual.

Al was abnormally pale. I looped my arm reassuringly through his and glared nastily at James. I was offered nothing but a cheeky wink in return. It was only Dom, Al and I being sorted that year. At that point, Vic, James, Molly and Fred were already at school. Out of our group, "the second round" of Weasley-Potter brood, I was the most anticipated at arrival, daughter of two of the golden trio. James and Vic had already spearheaded the constant trickle of Weasley-Potter kids, which would continue for the next 10 years.

My father, noting someone on the platform, placed his arms protectively around my shoulders as Uncle Harry pulled Al quietly aside.

"Rosie," he whispered conspiratorially, motioning his head in the direction of a thin, pasty boy with white blonde hair, "You need to beat him in every exam."

I rolled my eyes, at the disownment jokes, and pecked my father affectionately on the cheek. I was indifferent to leaving my family at the time. Maybe because I was to be surrounded by so many cousins and friends, but the parting didn't leave me feeling lacking in the least.

It seemed as though Uncle Harry had properly assuaged Al's fears because despite James's insistent taunting, Al boarded the steam engine with steady features.

Everyone remembers his or her first train ride. James and Fred ditched their friends to join us, which was a blessing and a curse. I was not exaggerating when I said that we stuck together, no matter what. Despite their unwavering immaturity, Fred and James were not too cool for their baby cousins and siblings. While looking for a compartment, Hedgewick Eckles, attempted to make a snide comment about the profusion of itty baby Weasley-Potters and James, very smoothly might I add, punched him in the face hard enough to knock him out, before entering his compartment of choice.

Hogwarts was, as it has always been, enchanting. The castle, silent and strong against the inky backdrop of the clear night sky, seemed to have a personality of its own. It was as though we were being welcomed back to a place we'd never left.

Everything was a blur. We were lead across the Great Lake by dear, Hagrid. We were welcomed in by Deputy Headmaster Sinclair and ushered into the Great Hall. Professor Sinclair was a tall, thin man with icy blue eyes. In his welcome he was brusque and professional, and perhaps a tad disgruntled. He seemed the grumpy sort, the kind to be put out my anything remotely associated with human contact, but I remember thinking he wasn't a bad fellow or a mean person.

I barely registered the Sorting Hat's song and the sorting began. I watched as my friends Fiona Finnegan and Alice Longbottom were sorted into Gryffindor. Fiona's three older brothers whooped and cheered loudly and Professor Longbottom shot his daughter an ostentatious thumbs up sign.

It's almost ironic that the first Slytherin to get sorted that year was Scorpius Malfoy. A hush fell over the Great Hall when his name was called, some people managed to hiss before Headmistress Jones shot a piercing glare into the crowd.

Scorpius appeared as though he heard nothing of the mumblings. His gray eyes were blank as he pulled the black, tattered hat over his head. It took a nerve-rackingly long time for the sorting hat to let out a booming "SLYTHERIN".

A majority of the students jeered as Scorpius made his way down to the Slytherin table. It shocked me, how much smaller their table was in comparison to the other three, how much quieter they were in their half hearted, polite applause. Most sat up straight, many wore haughty, cold expressions, some leered right back at the offenders.

I noted, with a generous degree of righteous anger, that James lead the jeering, the hissing, the nasty whispering. I remember being angry. I couldn't believe that James was really so cruel, so hateful as to torment a first year who had done nothing to him. I felt sorry for the Malfoy boy.

That was the first time that I saw the cruelty James was capable of.

Immediately after Scorpius his cousin, Eleanor Nott, was called to the Sorting Hat. She strode with purpose and confidence, a haughty arrogance twisting her pretty features. The hat took merely a few seconds to put her into Slytherin. Eleanor was exceptionally, breathtakingly beautiful. She smiled defiantly at those who were taunting her, and she marched to her table with her head held high. I respected Eleanor Nott.

I could feel Dominique tensing in anger in front of me. Her best friend, the youngest Flint boy who was a year or two ahead of us, was a Slytherin. It seemed as though he had never told her of this, of the utter absurdity of this kind of situation. I took hold of her robes in warning. Dom was the type to act out rashly and she didn't need a stain on her reputation before she had even been sorted.

In any case, we had no time to dwell on the injustice of it all, for Al had finally been called up to the Sorting hat. The applause and cheers that rang at the sound of his name were deafening. James sat with a look of the utmost pride on his handsome features. Despite his merciless taunting, he had not a doubt in his mind that Al would join him in Gryffindor.

The hat took an agonizingly long time, even longer than with Scorpius. I began to feel a tingle a fear; Dom had clutched my hand. Everyone in the hall was looking uncomfortable except for James who continued to grin confidently at his younger brother.

"SLYTHERIN"

The entire Great Hall went deathly still. Not a breath could be heard. Al, with the utmost serenity in his vivid, green eyes, placed the hat on the stool and made his way to the Slytherin table. No one jeered, no one hissed. How could they? This was their leader's brother. Al went completely unscathed. Thelonius Flint shared a look with Dominique and immediately stood to welcome Al and offer him a seat beside him, next to Scorpius Malfoy and across from Eleanor Nott.

The fear gripped me, icy and consuming. Dom held my hand tighter. I immediately turned to face James. The grin on his face was fading quickly. His eyes were hard, his jaw was clenched. Fred, his right hand man, was visibly stunned. He was open-mouthed, his jaw completely slack and he was eyeing James with trepidation. I turned to Molly at the Ravenclaw table, James and Fred's girl. Again, she was turned toward James with the same expression as Fred. She was tense, as though bracing herself for a particularly terrible storm.

Only Vic, dear, sweet Vic, was smiling and clapping enthusiastically for Albus, flashing him an encouraging wave of her hand, completely oblivious to the sure disaster that was to be this year.

I barely noticed, I barely cared that Dom and I were sorted into Gryffindor. It was a relief when the final girl, Soledad Zabini, was sorted into Slytherin. At that moment I just wanted to be with Al. I cared for nothing else. I didn't want him to be alone with strangers. I wanted him to be with his family. I wanted to get to him before James did.

I ate nothing that first night. It seemed that James did not either.

Outside the Great Hall, it took the combined efforts of Fred as well as Brendan, Patrick and John Finnegan to stop James from marching over to the Slytherin table.

"Lemmego," he kicked, "I just want to talk to my damned, brother, what on earth is the big deal?"

I walked over to them.

"James," I shouted, grabbing onto his arm, "James, you need to calm down."

The look on his face startled me in that moment. James looked wounded, he looked lost.

"I didn't mean what I said," he mumbled, "I was just taking the mickey out of him, like I always do, I was going to congratulate him. I was just teasing."

I could see James's fantasy. The hat would have called Gryffindor. Al would make his way to a roaring and supportive table. James would have thrown his arms around Al. Al would have been glowing with happiness. They would have been the Potter brothers, the pride of Hogwarts.

All that was dashed.

"James!" I called urgently. The boys deemed it safe to let go of him, now that the first years had already been lead out of the Great Hall, "James, this isn't some sort celestial punishment! He's still Al. He'll always be Al! He's just in different house! So are Molly and Vic!"

James eyes hardened into steel. I knew then that this ordeal was going to be significantly more painful than it needed to be. When James became that way, there was no getting through to him. He was gone.

"Mol and Vic aren't snakes." James's voice was deceptively soft. He broke away from us and stalked away without a backward glance.

The Finnegan brothers gave each other looks, before clapping Fred on the back, smiling at me and heading toward the Gryffindor tower. I think Fred understood my trepidation, because he put a hand on my hair.

"Don't worry yourself, Rosie," his smile was strained, "you know how pig-headed James can be, but he doesn't stay mad very long."

I didn't voice my fears aloud. I didn't tell Fred that I had the very terrible feeling that this time would be very different.

Up in the first year girl's dorm, the other girls were very very quiet. Dom and I shared the dorm with Fiona Finnegan, Alice Longbottom, and Jacquetta Pole, a muggle born who was completely lost as to what had just transpired. She was the only one feeling particularly chatty.

"What on earth happened?" she asked incredulously, over and over again, until Dom snapped at her to shut up.

When all the other girls had settled into the gentle, rhythmic breathing of sleep, Dom slipped out of her bed to wriggle into mine. Accustomed to this sort of intimacy, I threw an arm around her my eyes still closed.

"S'matter, Dom?"

She was quiet for a few minutes, "Al and James will be alright, won't they?"

"I think so," I murmured, "It might take a while, and it might get a whole lot worse before it gets better, but I think those idiots love each other, and, no matter how stupid James is, he's not going to let a bloody house banner get in between family."

Dom fell into a peaceful sleep afterwards. I stayed awake for quite a bit longer.

The next morning, if the other girls found it strange for us to wake up in bed together, they said nothing. If anything, Jacquetta looked almost envious of our affection.

Despite priding myself on being one of the more level-headed people in our family, I was ready to sprint to Al when I saw him at breakfast. It was Dom who put the steadying hand on my arm.

"Do not make this seem more dramatic than it is, Rosie," she warned, "It will only make Al feel worse, and confirm James notion that this is a disaster."

I nodded, took a deep breath and marched squarely toward the Slytherin table. For all my belief in letting by gone be by gones and not judging books by their cover or their parent's history, the Slytherins were an intimidating bunch. They looked almost battle-hardened; there was a toughness to them that I did not notice in the other students. They looked much much older.

Only Al brightened upon seeing us. The others, not so much. Eleanor Nott looked as though something particularly distasteful had interrupted her breakfast, Soledad Zabini gave us an appraising look. Vespasien Vaisey recoiled. Scorpius Malfoy frowned.

The older students sneered, there were a few catcalls directed at Dom. I think, had it not been for Thelonius Flint, there may have been a serious issue. He shoved the offending cat caller into his porridge and every one else clammed up after that. Thelonius was a terrifying third year. He was as big as most of the seventh year boys, if not bigger. Broad-shouldered and muscular, no one dared cross him. Dom smiled brightly as he made room for her at the table. I felt secure knowing that, at the very least, Thelonius would look out for Al, for Dom's sake.

Al's smile was tight, and he had dark circles under his eyes, as though he had not slept the night before. My heart ached, seeing him like that.

"Hullo, Al." I greeted cautiously as I took the seat next to him.

"Hullo, Rosie."

"Rosie?"

"Yeah, Al?"

The poor boy looked as though he were about to cry, "Does James hate me?"

In that moment, I wanted to slug James Potter in the face, for making Al look like that.

"Al, James loves you." I spoke firmly, "James will always love you. He may be a total arse for the next few months, but he'll never hate you."

Dom, who was sitting on Al's other side, gave me a look. James was glaring at us from the Gryffindor table, as though warning us to go back and sit amongst our own. I, for one, stuck my tongue out at him. I can't be too sure but Dom may have offered him a rude gesture when Al wasn't looking. Soledad laughed and Eleanor's disdainful expression was quickly wiped off her face.

I didn't like having them think we were divided, and despite everything, I didn't want them to think themselves better than James. I didn't share in Soledad's laughter and Dom gave Eleanor a hard stare, her warning not going unnoticed.

We were allowed to mess with each other; outsiders, were not. We stuck together.

We ate breakfast with Al every morning, as though nothing was wrong. The Slytherins became accustomed to us to an extent, although they had no idea what we were after. It didn't go unnoticed by the other houses, though.

"Why don't you eat with us?" Jacquetta, christened Jackie by Dom, asked one evening. She was sitting upside down, her feet dangling over the edge of the couch in the Gryffindor common room. She didn't' seem offended that we were never around, the girl was a tad dense and blunt as a rock and I think that Dom, especially, respected her for her straightforwardness.

"We want to eat with our cousin," I replied simply, scratching my nose with the end of my quill.

"Albus?" she questioned, straightening up, "Why doesn't he come eat with us? Isn't James his brother?"

I sighed. It was immensely difficult attempting to relay hundreds of years of bad blood between the two houses, to someone who had not a clue what was going on.

She seemed to understand, however, that the problem was with Al's house.

"What the hell is the big deal?" she threw up her arms in exasperation, "so they used to hate muggleborns, so the hell what? It's not like they still do."

To an extent, she was right. Muggleborns had been integrated so well into society after the war it was as though a conflict had never existed. Bullying of muggleborns or any one for their parentage was severely frowned upon.

"I don't know, Jackie. I really don't know."

Despite all of the drama swirling around me, school was everything I'd hoped it would be. I loved my courses and I loved my professors. I didn't try very hard to make friends. I didn't need them. I had Dom and Al. Although James was mad I still had him. I had Fred and Molly and Vic. I read everything I could get my hands on. I wasn't a particularly social person. If I wasn't with my family, or doing homework, I was curled up by the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, a thick tome firmly in my grasp.

Although I enjoyed all of my courses, my favorite course, by far, was Transfiguration. Despite his abysmal outlook on life, Professor Sinclair was a phenomenal professor. The course was challenging but I flourished and, despite acting as though he couldn't give a damn, I knew I was Professor Sinclair's favorite, his best and his brightest.

The fact that I was arguably the brightest witch in my year, coupled with my very public meals with Slytherin house and my indifference made me a tad unpopular with my peers. They would never outright bully me for fear of Fred and James but adoring fans certainly never did surround me.

Dom had no such social problem. Although she was my girlfriend first and foremost, she was also the beloved princess of Gryffindor house. Beautiful, charming and charismatic, her Slytherin meals and her friendship with Thelonius Flint were overlooked.

"You should really try harder to make friends, Rosie," she murmured to me one night, as she played with my hair.

I hummed a noncommittal response.

"I'm serious!" she insisted, "You're so funny and lovely and no one knows!"

When I continued to ignore her, she rose to her feet and dragged over Fiona, Alice and Jackie.

"Do you ladies think that Rosie is a frigid bitch?"

There was a moment of strained, awkward silence.

"Not really," Jackie shrugged, "she's just quiet, no need to get your panties in a twist."

Dom glared as I snorted, "Go home, Jackie."

Alice and Fiona, darlings that they were, also shrugged noncommittally. Dom literally threw her arms up in exasperation.

"It's true you're not very popular," Alice conceded, "Especially amongst Gryffindor house which is a shame really, but as along as they're not bothering you, I think you'll be alright."

"You're James's cousin," Fiona added, "No one will dare say anything, but you've sort of been branded a house traitor."

I rolled my eyes. People were ridiculous and I didn't give nargle's ass if people thought me a traitor or whatever. I'd known Fiona and Alice for years now, so they certainly didn't think any less of me for sticking with Al or being the neurotic bookworm that I'd always been. My cousins had my back no matter what, so I could care less what anyone thought of me.

It was in that first year that Scorpius Malfoy solidified his reputation as my academic rival. Although I bested him in Transfiguration and Potions, he was my better in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms. He was as hungry for knowledge as I was. He was an actual, viable threat to my number one spot, but that was the extent of my perception of him.

Although I was regularly eating with Al, as soon as I entered the vicinity Scorpius Malfoy didn't speak a work. Al, who seemed to have a taken a liking to the boy, always tried to entice him to conversation but the boy became mute when I was around.

"I don't understand," Al sighed as we made our way to Potions, "I really think the two of you would get along, I don't know why he's so frightened of you."

Eleanor Nott had a theory.

"You're such a princess, Scorp," I heard her speaking one day, as I was leaving the Slytherin table, "Never knew you to get tongue-tied over a pretty girl."

"Rose Weasley?" the incredulity in his voice left me highly offended, "Please, I have standards."

I didn't understand the vehemence in his voice at that time, nor did I witness the flush on his cheeks. I went very quickly from respecting him as an academic rival, to all out loathing him. Although I'd never really considered myself drop-dead gorgeous like Dom, I certainly had enough pride to be offended by Scorpius's impassioned dismissal of me. And there was nothing more dangerous that a Weasley who's pride had been wounded.

As the first few weeks of school passed, James's silence was leaving all of us on edge.

"He hasn't said a word to me, not one," Al mumbled miserably into his Charms textbook.

I patted him sympathetically on the head, "He'll come around. What are you complaining about? I think it's a miracle that James hasn't thrown a hissy fit yet."

"Exactly!" Al shouted. The librarian, Madam Masters, promptly threw a book at the back of his head. Al let out a muffled yelp and quickly turned around to glare at the smiling, elderly woman.

Madam Masters was by far my favorite person, snarky, sassy million-year-old bat that she was. I don't think I've ever heard her say a word. To get people to shut up in the library, she threw things at them, didn't matter what. Peeves adored her. Students were a tad frightened of her.

Al reoriented himself, before he turned back to me, a woeful expression on his handsome features.

His voice was so soft I had to lean in to hear him, "That's the point, Rosie."

The pain in his green eyes was wrenching, "It's like he's disowned me, it's like I don't exist."

I sat there gaping at him like a fish, completely at a loss for words. It took a minute for me to formulate a response.

"Well," I started slowly, "there's no way this armistice is going to last for long, he's bound to confront you at some point and I don't know if you'll be prepared. It's bound to get ugly."

Al grunted, pushing his textbook away listlessly, "Anything's better than this damned waiting."

Fred and Molly were equally concerned.

"He hasn't spoken a word to me about it," Molly confided, "No matter how much I prod. He's getting scary Rose, he's not himself."

Her blue eyes were clouded over with worry, Fred placed a comforting arm around her shoulder, but his voice was equally tight, "He hasn't been speaking much to either of us, he's preparing for Quidditch tryouts like an absolute animal. We don't know what he's going to do, Rosie."

It wasn't as though James was rude to either Dom or myself. He still called out to us in the hallways and he still greeted us coolly in the common room, but he didn't joke anymore, he didn't laugh. It was as though he'd lost his spark and it was unnerving.

It was true that that year both James and Fred were trying out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. To my surprise, both Al and Scorpius were trying out for the Slytherin team.

"How is that even fair?" Dom grumbled as we made our way to Herbology, "First years aren't allowed to tryout."

I shrugged, "Slytherin house is so small that the rule doesn't apply to them."

It was true. The year we were sorted there were only three boys and two girls sorted into Slytherin. The year before that only three people total were sorted. Slytherin house was shrinking fast.

A week before the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts, I stumbled upon James fighting with Vic.

"You have to stop this, James," Vic was near tears, "everyone's worried about you. Al misses you! You need to snap out of it!"

I'd been under the impression that Vic was unaware of the family drama going on, but she clearly wasn't so thick as to not notice the change in James. It was radical.

James, however, brushed past her, without so much a wor.

It was only when it was announced that Al and Scorpius made the Slytherin Quidditch team, did James snap.

* * *

A/N: So, I know I haven't updated this in two years. But, I don't know, I came across this draft and the inspiration just exploded. I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but reviews are always awesome! Please don't fave without reviewing :(

Best,

Nanaho-hime


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